Medical cover during matches on Saturdays is provided by an on-site School Nurse and a Paramedic when necessary.

A completed Health Questionnaire is required from all pupils on admission to Whitgift.

DAY PUPILS
Day pupils who are taken ill at school will be cared for until they are fit enough to return to class or arrangements are made for them to be collected and taken home or taken to hospital for further treatment as deemed necessary.

Medication
Non-prescription medication will be provided under the School Homely Remedies Protocol, available on request.

If during the School Year your son requires any medication (e.g. prescribed medication or antibiotics) you MUST complete an Administration of Medication to Pupil Parental Request Form, which may be downloaded below. Medication will not be administered without appropriate documentation and consent.

BOARDERS ONLY
Boarders will initially be cared for during the day by the School Medical Team and out of school hours by the Matron/Housemaster. A School Nurse will also be ‘on-call’ outside normal school hours.

The School Doctor will hold a weekly surgery for boarders in the Medical Centre on a Monday between 12.15pm and 1.00pm. Appointments for this surgery should be made through the Medical Centre.

BOARDERS - SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
All Boarders will be registered with the School Doctor, Dr Wilcock.

Please note that, if your son needs to see a Doctor during the school holidays, you should only register him as a temporary resident.

Medication

Please note that no medication, including homeopathic remedies, may be brought into Whitgift School by any Boarder. If any medication is required, the School Medical Team will provide it. Non-prescription medication will be provided under the School Homely Remedies Protocol, available on request.

Visits to the Dentist, Optician and other Specialists
These should preferably be arranged during the school holidays but can be arranged during term time by the School Doctor/Nurse, if necessary. Parents are encouraged to accompany their sons to all appointments but, if this is not possible, a member of staff will accompany them. Parents may be charged for transport. Staff will endeavour to inform parents of the visit and the outcome.

The School does not provide its own Dental service but has access to a private Dentist for emergencies.

Overseas Travel
Please write to the Senior School Nurse giving at least six weeks’ notice specifying the vaccinations required for travel overseas. Please note that these may incur an extra charge. If prescription anti-malarial drugs are required, these can be issued on a private prescription by the School Doctor and this will incur a charge.

GENERAL INFORMATION - ALL PUPILS

Operations, accidents, severe illness, immunisation, or special treatment
If your son has any of the above during the school term or in the holidays, you must inform the Senior School Nurse on his return to school. The information should be provided by means of a letter supported, if necessary, by a report from the specialist concerned and should include details of medicines and treatment recommended, if these need to be continued.

Infectious diseases
If, during the holidays, your son is exposed to anyone suffering from an infectious disease (e.g. Chickenpox or Mumps) they may return to school when the term begins, but the Senior School Nurse must be informed if your son has not already had the disease.

Only in the unlikely event of contact with diphtheria, poliomyelitis, typhoid, paratyphoid fever, bacillary dysentery, meningococcal infection, hepatitis A or B or HIV infection should your son be kept at home until you have consulted a Doctor.

Tropical diseases
The Senior School Nurse must be informed if your son has been exposed to the risk of Malaria.

Immunisation
All immunisations should be up to date before arrival. Booster doses will be carried out in the Lower Fifth Form by Croydon Health, as recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Food and other Allergies
Whitgift School aims to be a Nut Free School although this cannot be guaranteed. As such, we ask parents to be aware of this when providing lunches/snacks for your sons. If your son has any food allergies please discuss these with the Medical Team who will liaise with Sarah Harvey, General Manager of Catering.

Parents of pupils who have a serious allergy or allergies are required to confirm annually that they have read the School’s Life-Threatening Allergies Policy and, where necessary, have provided the School with an adrenalin pen. It is extremely important that the Medical Centre is kept informed of such allergies so that teachers are aware. Staff are given Anaphylaxis training annually.

Counselling
The School employs two professional Counsellors: Annabel Roditi and Joanna Ray.

The Counsellors are available by appointment during school hours. Pupils who wish to access this service should see Mr Cook (Assistant Head, Pastoral) or a member of the School Medical Team.

General
The School recognises the need to provide policies and procedures to safeguard pupils and staff, including those with chronic conditions.

If your son is suffering from Asthma, Diabetes, Epilepsy or allergies, please see the Senior School Nurse to discuss these conditions in detail.

This information and school medical policies are available to parents on the School website under ‘The School’ – ‘Medical Centre’. You will also find the Administration of Medication to Pupil Parental Request Form within the same section.

CONFIDENTIALITY

In accordance with the School Medical Team’s professional obligations, medical information about pupils, regardless of their age, will remain confidential. However, in providing medical care for a pupil, it is recognised that, on occasions, it may be necessary to liaise with parents or a guardian, the Headmaster, academic staff (and boarding house staff where applicable), and that information, ideally with the pupil’s prior consent, will be passed on as appropriate. The School Medical Team will respect a pupil’s confidentiality with regard to all matters except on the very rare occasions when, having failed to persuade a pupil to give consent to divulgence, the School Medical Team considers it in the pupil’s best interests, or necessary for the wider protection of the School community, to breach confidence and pass on information to the relevant body.